Learn Spanish FREE - Reading Spanish

Guide To The Spanish Language
An introduction to Spanish without the grammar - A new and fresh perspective with some interesting items on language and the similarities between Spanish and English 

1.   Learn Spanish Introduction
2.   Spanish Grammar
3.   The use of Language
4.   Spanish Pronunciation
5.   Common History of Spanish and English
6.   Learn to Listen
7.   Language is Musical
8.   Reading Spanish
9.   Spanish is NOT the Official Language of Spain
10. Language Courses
11. Interpretation
12. Some fun items
13. Vocabulary
14. Cognates - Do you know what a cognate is?
15. Learn Vocabulary
16. Efficient Study
17. Mnemotechnics
18. The 146 Most Used Words in Spanish
19. How Do We Make Real Spanish Sounds
20. Vowel Sounds
21. Consonant Sounds
22. Asking a Question in Spanish
23. Masculine Feminine Words
24. Direct Translation
25. Verbs
26. Spanish phrases
27. Cognates continued

 

Learning Spanish - Reading Spanish

Inevitably when learning another language we use books and the written word. The good news is that when learning Spanish the written word is just as it is spoken. They write phonetically, unlike English, which certainly makes reading and writing Spanish that much easier. It is difficult to explain to a foreign student learning English how to pronounce the words “Antique” and “Leicestershire” etc.

Reading is a useful way to improve our Spanish but only if we can correctly pronounce what we read. Spanish is relatively simple in this respect. Imagine trying to read Arabic, or Japanese; languages that use a completely alien script. The Spanish not only use a very familiar script to English and a very similar alphabet but they also write as they speak. Once we have got to grips with the pronunciation of the alphabet and the vowels, reading is relatively easy, and a great way to improve your Spanish. A great tip is to read newspapers and movie subtitles. Watch a film in English audio with subtitles in Castellano a great way to improve your Spanish.

Getting to the point of being able to read aloud in Spanish and being understood is not that difficult and you don’t have to know what, whatever your reading, actually means. It is great practice for your pronunciation skills and will help you to get familiar with the way words are put together to make a recognisable sentence in Spanish.

As I think you can appreciate by now, learning a language, apart from the grammar, has many interesting elements to keep us busy. Learning to listen, training our ear, dialects, accents, pronunciation, reading, use of vocabulary, clichés and metaphors, with all these elements if we can do without grammar I am sure you will agree, all the better.